(Mind) Control
by goodluckdetective
Summary: Based off this thought: In City Fall from the comics, one of the ways Shredder brainwashes Leo is by making him think all of his brothers are dead and it was his fault.


Mind control was a difficult thing. Almost impossible, really. It was the nature of the concept that did this, the core of the idea that made it tricky. To control a soul wholeheartedly, one had to convince said soul that their actions that their own. That there was no man pulling on the strings, so to say.

Doing this was easier said than done. Making someone override their own principles and core values with just a vial was a laughable notion. There had to be more to it.

-I am your master, hamato Yoshi is your enemy, this is your family

Here was the story in its original form. The manuscript for lack of a better word. Unedited, unread, unpublished.

A turtle and his three brothers were bought by a kind widowed man. They, along with their owner, were mutated. They became sentient. Their owner took them in as his children, raised them, taught them how to fight to protect themselves from the world above. They grew. They were a family, a strange one, but a family.

The second eldest loved his family dearly, though he hated to admit it out loud. He envied and admired his eldest brother's natural leadership and his confidence. He thought his father strict, but loving. He considered his younger brother to be far too clever and caring for his own good. He made sure the baby of the family would never lose his smile. They were his family, his family who put up with his anger issues, his junk food, his snoring. And he'd protect them no matter what.

The original version of the story had no ending. It was still being written. But for the moment, while fraught with danger, occasional grief and despair, it was a happy one. The family lived. The second eldest had friends. The world might have grown bright again. Changing this manuscript into a tragedy capable of warping a soul would be almost impossible.

Luckily, the Shredder is a _very_ good editor.

The mind control drug is not a simple one. It can't be simply dumped into a being's veins to turn them into a puppet. The process is much more complex. First, the victim must be given one dose an hour per hour. Exact amounts, no more, no less. Then, while the victim is asleep, the suggestions must be made. Control. Loyalty. Then the brain, open and unguarded, begins to alter, to warp, to alter the past to fit what is being whispered in their ear.

Shredder starts small. Well, small for the Shredder.

"Hamato Yoshi is your enemy."

The red turtle's memories start to shift. The kind widowed man turns into a harsh, cruel one, buying turtles to eat at the supermarket. The mutation happens. The owner sees a chance to get revenge on a long held enemy within his former to-be dinner. He never gives them names. He teaches them how to fight, to hurt, to murder. There is no rest. There are no breaks. There is no family.

"This is your family."

His memory shoots forward, creating an entirely new chapter. He's beaten and alone when the foot find him, about to bleed out. They take him in, help him heal, show him kindness. A girl named Karai takes to him like an older sister. He eats regular meals. He sleeps most nights. When he's lucky, Karai takes him running across the rooftops for a game of tag.

"I am your master."

This suggestion takes most time to stick. When it does manifest, the memory isn't quite as elaborate as it could be. Karai takes the second eldest to meet her father. The man is strict, but doesn't hurt him. He gives him a name. One of an artist. It doesn't make much sense, but the turtle in red doesn't question it. He was taught not to question.

Throughout the process, the turtle only asks one question. Mutters quite a curse words, screams quite a few protests, but only asks one question. One Shredder didn't even expect.

"Where are my brothers?"

Shredder did not expect this question. But the answer comes to him easy.

"They're dead."

And the memory shifts, shifts so harsh that the turtle screams for the rest of the process. Because these memories could only be classified as nightmares. His genius, smart, caring brother dying slow of fever. Dying while the red turtle holds his hand. Sensei refuses to help him claiming that his student must prove himself strong. When they bury him, the man doesn't even cry. The youngest, sent out to fight a battle he could never win. The youngest found dead in an ally. His baby brother's smile wiped clean. The eldest, the eldest promising to get them out of this hell, to find a new home, only to be struck down by the man he called a father, Hamato Yoshi, with his own swords. When the red turtle closes his eyes he can still hear all three scream.

The next time Raphael wakes up, he is Raphael of the foot clan. His father is the Shredder. His family needs him. His brothers are dead.

And Hamato Yoshi will pay.


End file.
